DARREN Wrack today admitted Walsall will be "massive underdogs" in League One next season.

After being a big fish in the modest League Two pool last term, the Saddlers will compete as equals with most opposition next time round.

And, in several cases, they will be up against clubs whose kudos, support and, most significantly, budgets, dwarf those at Bescot.

Leeds and Nottingham Forest are two that spring to mind. How Walsall fare against those former European heavyweights, in the space of 11 days in December and then back-to-back in March, will provide a good barometer of what they might expect to achieve.

"I think it's great we have got Leeds and Forest close together," Wrack said. "They will be big spells for the club and great for the fans. If we can get a really good result in the first game it will take us into the second in great heart.

"All round it's going to be a challenging season for us. Everybody would love another tilt at promotion and, who knows, it could happen. That's what we are aiming for.

"But the bottom line is we are going into a much tougher league with much better teams. So we have to be realistic. We are going in as massive underdogs but then that's what we were under Ray Graydon and we managed to get into the Championship then.

"It's all about applying yourself properly. We proved we could do that last season in League Two.

"Now we have to do the same again but raise our standards across the board as well because the competition is going to be that much better."